Rural broadband services provider Xplornet Communications Inc. is pleased to announce that its first 4G broadband satellite has passed all tests and is now operational, serving customers across Canada. Launched in October 2011, ViaSat-1 is the highest capacity broadband satellite ever placed in orbit over North America, and Xplornet has acquired 100% of its Canadian Ka-band capacity to use exclusively to provide 4G broadband to rural and remote Canadians.

John Maduri, CEO of Xplornet Communications, called 4G satellite broadband “a game-changer” for Canada. “I can’t overstate the importance to rural Canadians of being able to access fast, affordable broadband. We made it our mission to overcome the urban/rural digital divide, and we are succeeding. This should matter to all Canadians. Universal access to and adoption of Internet technology has to be a national priority if Canada wants to compete and win in the global digital economy.”

Xplornet initiated a pre-sale campaign after the launch of ViaSat-1 which included pilot subscriptions to rural Canadians to test the integrity of the broadband service. According to Avis Sokol, Xplornet’s VP of marketing, “The customers on the service during the testing phase were from select communities in Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec. Sales and positive testimonials have exceeded our expectations. Today, we begin marketing the service nationally through over 400 dealers”.

One such pilot subscription was for Stan Campbell, who runs Dinners4You, a catering and meal planning business in Cobourg, Ontario. “Our only option before was dial-up, and now we have something that’s very fast and efficient” said Mr. Campbell. “Xplornet has helped me be faster with my emails, looking up information online, and it’s freed up my phone line for customer calls”.

ViaSat-1 is the first of two 4G satellites Xplornet will be using to provide coverage across Canada. The second, Hughes-Jupiter, will be launched later this year and will further enlarge Xplornet’s 4G footprint and capacity. Those satellites, together with Xplornet’s 4G wireless terrestrial network and additional Ka band satellites mean that Xplornet can make real, affordable broadband available to virtually 100% of Canadians, regardless of where they live.